Chapter 805: The Story of the Window (2/2, Request Subscription)

When Qing Chen said this, his expression was slightly excited.

This excitement made Jing Yan seriously suspect whether Qing Chen had deliberately preserved this particular trait of his.

Underwater breathing ability?

What the hell is that good for?!

Do you expect me to dive into the water?

Think of that raging Han Jiang—Ye Ge couldn't withstand it, even a Rain-level powerhouse in a black robe knelt down. How foolhardy would I have to be to dive into the river alone and test the limits of Han Jiang, when I'm just a mere Post-Heaven Realm nobody?

"Jing Yan, why are you nervous? I just like studying weird things—I want to become a great scientist… uh, a Weirdologist!"

"But that's just a goal. To achieve it, I haven't gone mad enough to deliberately harm my brother, nor could I ever do such a thing. I genuinely haven't figured out how to remove your gills yet. Simply put, this thing of yours is almost self-contained—it's even connected to nerves throughout your entire brain. Cutting into it is far too difficult; we must find another way."

Qing Chen's explanation calmed Jing Yan considerably.

"So you mean you can help me solve this problem in the future?"

"Yeah, if I can find a suitable solution someday."

Sounds incredibly unreliable…

Jing Yan sighed. After being tormented all night, he was physically and mentally exhausted.

But as long as he was still alive, exhaustion didn't matter. For now, he planned to rest.

Qing Chen opened his mouth to speak, then stopped himself—he clearly wanted to keep studying Jing Yan's body, but still had a shred of humanity and said nothing.

"Ye Ge!"

As Jing Yan walked into the corridor, he saw Fang Yue, paused in surprise, then cheerfully greeted him, eagerly recounting how he'd survived the night.

"I'm looking for Qing Chen."

Jing Yan, who had just been babbling nonstop, instantly fell silent.

"Qing Chen, Qing Chen—you called me Little Jing Yan yesterday, and today you only look for Qing Chen! Ye Ge, you don't care how hard I fought to survive last night!"

"... Didn't you spend most of the time unconscious?"

Jing Yan's expression froze.

"Uh… how did you know that?"

"I dropped by a few times, intermittently."

Fang Yue rolled his eyes. "Alright, go rest if you're tired—we've got big things to do when you wake up."

"What big things?"

"Hijack the ship!"

Hijack the ship?!

Jing Yan first blinked in surprise, then immediately understood Fang Yue's meaning—he made a vicious gesture of miming a throat-slitting motion.

"With Ye Ge leading, I, Jing Yan, will follow right into the thick of battle! Ye Ge, go ahead and do whatever you want!"

We haven't even figured out how yet—what the hell are you going to do?

After dismissing Jing Yan, Fang Yue approached Qing Chen.

"The helmsman refuses to correct the course. Do you have any way to make him listen?"

"Ye Ge, I was just about to bring this up with you."

Qing Chen seemed to have prepared for this—he was exhausted from working all night, but when he mentioned this, his eyes lit up.

"Have you ever heard a story? When someone wants to open a window, they often can't achieve it—but when they choose to smash the wall, opening the window becomes a trivial matter."

Fang Yue had heard the full version of this story, so he instantly understood Qing Chen's meaning.

But… how exactly do you smash the wall?

"This Han Jiang is so perilous. I previously had people monitor the helmsman's navigation logs—I didn't miss a single detail—and then I discovered something. Ye Ge, look here."

As he spoke, Qing Chen handed over several sheets of paper.

The papers contained reports that the Han Jiang Giant Ship periodically made turns, veered off course, and occasionally stopped abruptly in place.

These maneuvers lasted only briefly, so Fang Yue, absorbed in his own affairs, had never noticed any change in the ship's movement—or rather, being inside the cabin, one couldn't perceive the tiny adjustments the Han Jiang Giant Ship made.

"What do these things mean?"

Fang Yue asked, frowning slightly.

"It's simple: it means even the helmsman cannot resist the dangers of Han Jiang. What he can do is essentially the same as what we've been doing—avoiding danger!"

"Avoiding danger?" Fang Yue slowly chewed on those four words.

"Exactly—avoiding danger. My guess is that while the Han Jiang Giant Ship is special, it's not that extraordinary. What has allowed it to safely navigate between the two docks of Han Jiang for years is precisely this: avoiding danger."

And this, I suspect, is where the helmsman's years of experience come into play. He knows where the dangers lie, where to avoid them, and where it's safe to accelerate. His understanding of Han Jiang is probably deeper than his own ship's. That's why he's always managed to turn misfortune into fortune.

So if we make danger come to us—force it to appear—then the helmsman will be compelled to adjust the course. All our problems will resolve themselves naturally."

"Does it really need to be this complicated…? What's the difference between this and just putting a knife to the helmsman's throat?"

"The difference is simple: one makes the helmsman fly into a rage and steer the ship into Han Jiang, killing us all. The other makes the helmsman genuinely want to change course, following his own inner instincts."

"What if our little trick is discovered…"

"There is no 'what if.' We must succeed on the first try—and our methods must be hidden."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Still thinking. Before that, you can try other methods—as long as the helmsman doesn't suspect my plan."

Fang Yue sighed. Qing Chen's method was feasible, but the risk was too high, and he had no clear direction yet.

On this front, even Fang Yue and the others couldn't help—only Qing Chen could lead this. Jing Yan could assist, but his role would be limited.

Is there… is there a better way?

【Right—what's a better way?】

【Why not ask the Magic Conch?】

Fang Yue: "..."

"Don't just pop out of nowhere—tell me, how's your ability recovery going? I want to activate precognition to test something."

【What you're thinking—how could I possibly not know?】

【The great and noble Lord Parchment, all-knowing!】

Yes, yes, yes… you're right… there's nothing you don't know…

Fang Yue unleashed the triple combo of perfunctory responses.

But Parchment clearly knew Fang Yue's inner thoughts, clearly knew these were just flattering brush-offs, yet Parchment still grinned from ear to ear, overjoyed.

【Mwahahahaha! Now you know how mighty Lord Parchment is!】

【Since you've sincerely and earnestly sought the help of Lord Parchment, this lord will magnanimously and mercifully deign to lend you a hand!】

How pitiful! The Parchment forcing a smile is so pitiful!

【You're the pitiful one! This lord reserves the right to withdraw the offer of help!】

Parchment is number one under heaven!!

【Hoo hoo hoo!】

【Not enough! More! Remember to call Lord Parchment pretty!】

... Tired. Precognition first, flattery later.

【Scumbag!!】

Despite saying that, Parchment still activated precognition.

Watching Parchment's text, and the images flooding into his mind, Fang Yue's eyes instantly went wide, as if he had seen something terrifying, his whole body freezing on the spot, his face full of horror.

"The whole ship… wiped out?!"

(End of chapter)